Mydra
Capable of bending the minds of others to her will, Mydra was once a valuable asset to the empire, like most other Psi-sensitive Irkens. Capable of everything from hurling stones and reading minds with, well, her own mind, she was an extremely valuable asset to the military - until she quit, that is, leaving the Irken Elite behind her, searching for something that'd actually be worth her time. As such, in present day, Myd is something of a roving mercenary, taking bounties and looking after her own interests - even if they start to go against the Empire's. TL;DR - Biography Born with a Psi-sensitive brain, Mydra was augmented and trained to best use her powers for the military, with said powers alienating her from her friends, and with her isolation and treatment alienating her further from the typical Irkens she found herself with. She graduated early, doing covert work under some strict handlers, and performed pretty well despite the suffocating restrictions. After a few years and a failed attempt to retire, the Irken Elite trials rolled around, and Myd took them as a way out, and finally got some peace and quiet to herself. However, the Control Brains, impressed, assigned her a partner. Thinking that they wanted to simply control her with another handler-type, her expectations were low. Instead, they got Averii, a quiet, brutal, and outright obsessive fighter. Keeping to himself, he seemed to be looking for something all the time, and sparked Myd's interest in his obsession. Eventually, after a few weeks of working with him, and with her mind-powers rather ineffective on him, she began to dig for anything she could get on him - articles, reports, data archives, any contacts she could talk to. However, observant, he noticed this, and decided to outright tell her to quit digging for information, and to just ask him. Given a few months, he proved capable of surprising and entertaining her consistently, and she herself began to open up to him, and in the end, they became close friends. After a few years, though, she noticed he was hiding something. Too shy to ask him, she decided to wait until he was passed out, one night, to dig into his unprotected dreams. In the end, she confessed, and the friendship ended there. Ashamed, Myd resigned from the Elites a few months later, and decided to use her skills and gear to go mercenary. Today, she runs as the head of the Black Embers, fighting the good fight for glory and a paycheck. She still tries to apologize to Ave, though. Biography Early Life Born from a typical Irken cloning vat, Mydra was anything but typical. Sharp-minded and extremely intuitive, Myd, as her few friends called her, exhibited uncanny ability as she grew up in the Academy. Always capable of seeing the truth behind the lies, her fellow cadets brushed her off as simply a compassionate and empathetic female, and, for some, a good friend. Her Overseers, however, saw the telltale signs of abnormal psionic sensitivity. Sensitivity with potential, as it were; something of a high-value rarity in the Empire. As such, Myd was soon singled out by the Control Brains, and inducted into the Academy's Psion division as a potential initiate. First, her senses were sharpened by implants. Then, her powers were revealed - and honed. Trained night and day by her handlers for decades, Myd's power would slowly grow - sometimes, it would feel like a breakthrough came day after day, and other times, she would struggle for what felt like an eternity. As she began performing particularly well in her classes, she was fast-tracked to the military, graduating early to a special field unit as a Psionic Adept. Becoming something of an expert during her time in the field (despite the restrictions and surveillance imposed by her handlers), Mydra's primary specialty became more covert operations. Military Career Eventually, however, after about a decade of being suffocated between the success she met on the field, and the often suffocating overwatch of her handlers, Mydra eventually decided to retire. Or rather, would've, had it been allowed, her request being rejected at the source by a Control Brain, of all things. Increasingly frustrated with her lack of freedom under her superiors, however, Mydra soon resolved to simply shift gears, and move beyond their reach. To escape their grip, she took to the Irken Elite trials, and finally tasted freedom among the best and brightest of the military. Not that she really enjoyed working with them, however. As a young smeet, and even into their young adulthood, Mydra had grown sick of the often monotonous and simple-minded thoughts of her Empire-centric peers, growing sick of the sort of monotony that had persisted even through that past decade. So, as an Elite, Mydra tried when she could to fight alone, seeking a sort of quiet solace when she shipped out. However, she would always return with victory. So consistent was she that she caught the attention of Command. Impressed, the Control Brains were pleased with her performance. So impressed, in fact, that they wanted to actually supplement her power with that of another rising Elite. A partner, of sorts. To Mydra, however, it simply seemed they wished to bring her back under their heel once more, dispatching another Handler to watch over her, and keep her out of 'trouble'. Another dull, monotonous-minded narcissistic drone; something she was absolutely resentful of putting up with again, to say the least. Whatever their true intentions, however, the Control Brains ended up sending a young Elite by the name of Averii. Or, as he preferred to be called, simply 'Ave'. The Cyclops and the Psychic Known infamously to his targets as Cyclops, Averii had started out as quiet, and difficult, if near impossible, to read. Iron-willed and brutally efficient, to Mydra's surprise, Ave kept to himself, more often than not. Punctual, adaptive, and observant, Myd eventually found herself unnerved by him - and the fact he never took his helmet off didn't help. Nor the fact that the remorseless infiltrator seemed to talk to himself on a regular basis, outright having conversations. Regardless, between the Cyclops' brutal efficiency, and Mydra's own power, they became an even greater force to be reckoned with, tearing through the enemy, one by one (in Averii's case, quite literally). Her control over her mind would prove instrumental to success, more often than not, and where she failed, Ave was more than ready to take up the slack - and then some. Brains and Brawn, one may say. However, Myd found herself being a bit less than pleased with every time her partner seemed to push her aside to forge ahead relentlessly. Combined with his antisocial attitude, eventually he came to frustrate her. Then came his odd, at times outright obstructive need to pore through any seized data, searching it relentlessly. Running through it almost, she realized, like he dealt with the enemy. Brutal. Efficient. Obsessive, even. Little by little, despite the ineffectiveness of her Psionic influence upon him, Mydra's frustration turned to fascination. Averii had become a mystery, and a mystery she began to solve. Combing archives and military reports, requesting data and information from all kinds of sources, what began as an intriguing little mystery began to grow, and at the same time, clear up. However, the night Mydra began to learn, suddenly, all her connections had been blocked. Then, Averii sighed, removed his helmet, and introduced himself with a simple request. Stop digging into his past. In exchange, he'd simply tell her himself. Thus ended the first few weeks between Averii and Mydra, and from it was born a true partnership. In the coming months after, what started as an awkward, timid deal between them grew into a rare chance to simply just talk; an opportunity both of them had always missed for years. Alienated by her prior experiences in the military, Myd found Averii to be an intriguing anomaly that had piqued her own interest. Someone, for once, not motivated by some greed or lust for power, with more depth than a puddle. With her handlers and past partners, she'd often figured them out relatively quickly; even her friends in the academy were relatively simple, once she'd become a Psi Initiate. Averii, on the other hand, proved himself not just capable of surprising her, but entertaining her. Each conversation or answer was almost always something new, something intriguing, and failing that, it always added depth, ''or created ''more questions. As Ave opened up to her, to her own surprise, she began to open up to him. Day by day, week by week, they began to figure eachother out. From combat to the mess hall, they'd begin to pick up on little tells and habits, and began to mesh and fight faster and more ferociously than before. Even outside of work, Myd found herself with Ave, outright spending entire leaves with him, rather than spending them alone, meditating or practicing. Yet, as months turned to years, and they began to know one another on deeper and deeper levels, Mydra could always sense something was being hidden from her. That last mystery began to gnaw at her, yet, she could never bring herself to ask about it. So, instead of asking, she looked to her own powers, and one night, delved into Averii's mind. When she returned, everything had become clear, and then some; but quietly, she wondered if it was worth it. For weeks after, she began to grow distant, thinking on it - and in a way, avoiding him. However, Averii, observant as ever, noticed this quickly, and confronted her over it. In the end, their partnership was shattered. In the end, their friendship had died. Having violated their deepest layer of privacy, and their oldest agreement, Mydra, nonetheless, offered to comfort Averii over Entra, the long-lost core of his obsession, willing to make amends and help him cope. Blinded by her betrayal, and his own anger, Averii simply left, with a final pause as Mydra tried to stop him. The damage had been done, however. In the end, Mydra confessed to Averii. Ashamed, a few months later, Mydra attempted to resign from the Irken Elites. Despite a few hiccups in the process, the Control brain was eventually convinced by her argument. Even with the help of Talbolt, Averii's mentor, Myd has had little success in making amends with Ave - even today. Present Day Following her resignation from the Elites, and her falling out with Averii, Mydra briefly considered living a civilian life. However, she didn't consider it for long. Sick of the Empire and it's citizens in general, Mydra also found she didn't exactly know where to start as a civilian. Trained for the military all her life, she didn't know how to really function in peacetime. Not in a way she'd like, anyway. Inspired by both reality and fiction, Mydra decided to strike out, using her equipment and skills to become a mercenary, roving the universe in a search for both work, and a good cause. Inspired by Ave, and with a string of (mostly) successes to back her up, she's found plenty of business - and has even formed a team of mercenaries over the years. Although small, without the xenophobia and bias of the Empire, the Black Embers, as they're called, form quite the effective band of soldiers from near every walk of life. From former slaves to rebels in hiding, they may not agree on everything - ''such is what happens when you shove rebels together with loyalists - but beyond their grudges is a common trust. One that Myd's ''damned sure to uphold, as are the rest of the Embers. Appearance and Equipment of Note Physical Standing at 5'7", Mydra is thinner and taller than the average Irken. Possessing purple eyes and average curled antennae, her most outstanding features would be her implants - light cybernetics visibly protruding from her head. Most noticeable are the two studs above her right eye, and the tube running from the upper left of her skull, with some visible circuitry, should one squint enough. That, or if you're caught in the dark when she starts using them. Her mouth is also crosshatched, but aside from all that, she's not that distinct in a crowd, capable of vanishing quickly. Clothing Generally, Mydra wears a special type of full-body skinsuit. A derivation of the technology used in traditional military phantom suits, it's known as a wraith suit, issued to most Psi adepts of the Empire as their standard uniform. Weaved with all sorts of circuits and lattices designed to disperse heat, they also feature the Phantom suit's thermoptic camouflage ability - albeit without the power source that would normally be needed. Instead, Mydra's psi-power itself activates the wraith suit's cloak, channeled by amplifiers and conductors within the suit itself and enhancing her already latent power - though not to the degree of a full dedicated psi-amp. Primarily in all-black, she usually goes out with a checkered and striped purple cloak with this. Over this, she wears either a vest or a tunic with standard boots and gloves, when off-duty. On duty, however, she dons dark 'skeleton plating' that provides her with mobility and modest protection, in addition to some heavier shoulder and neck-guards. Notably, she has outer collar plating that even covers her PAK, in addition to a belt and a skull-styled breather, which she dons when on the attack. Of course, she also wields her own set of Elite gauntlets, being more typical in appearance, but geared primarily towards acting as full-on psi-amps. Equipment and Abilities N/A Abilities * 'Mind Control' (Strain increases with intelligence and will of the target, plus time) * Personal Levitation (Moderate strain, high use over time can be lethal) * Telekinesis (High focus, high strain) * 'Mind Reading' (Limited to the weak minded or unconscious, reads active thoughts, dreams) * Hallucinations (False noises, sounds, and visions; similar strain to mind control) * Dreamhopping (Manipulate/enter dreams of others, similar strain to MC) * Empathy (Passive, senses strong emotions and presences) * Cloak (Somewhat passive, moderate focus/strain, phantomsuit needed) Abilities (Amplifier-Based) * Lance (Piercing beam of Psi-energy, moderate strain) * Pyrokinesis (Fireballs, mild strain) * TeleField (Telekinesis projected into a 'shield', high strain) * Mend (Focused healing, heavy strain) Personality Outwardly cynical and with a tendency to be brutally honest, Mydra isn't exactly a people person. Although her powers allow her to be quite and intuitive and compassionate individual, more often than not all she gets out of it are egotistic voices in her head. Over the years, she's come to hate crowds and generally the presence of other people, and her patience has taken a hit as well, leaving her to be introverted, hot-headed, and cynical. Having seen into the minds of thousands of people, she hasn't been impressed. Coupled with a talkative nature, she's not afraid of voicing her complaints. Due to how easily she can understand a person, it's also easy for her to become sympathetic, and to become worked up and invested in something; as a result, she also comes across as moralistic. Notably, though, she's apprehensive when it comes to talking about herself. Notable Relationships Averii One of her first real friends, Ave was the first man to interest Mydra in a long time. A mystery at first, he laid down a simple rule; whatever questions she had, ask him face to face. For years, they enjoyed the best friendship either of them had ever had (or rather, the best friendship Averii had ever been in in the last thirty years). Growing close and coordinated, they were each destructive and highly effective on their own - and together, were like a tidal wave, sweeping through the enemy. Off the field, they found themselves drawn to eachother, and Talbolt, Ave's mentor and a retired captain, was himself rather fond of Mydra. Inviting them both on vacations when on leave, she felt she'd found a place where she belonged. Then, she broke Ave's one rule, and in her digging, struck the most sensitive nerve she could. To this day, they both live in regret over what they said. Myd, herself, still tries to make it up to him, seeing him a few times every year, courtesy of Tal. More than a few times, she's asked him to join the Embers. All those times, he's refused, preferring not to bring up any more painful memories. Zep One of the more unique members of the Embers, Zep's a bit of an anomaly. On a security contract with an obscure research facility, Myd had picked up on some rather intense emotions - pain, suffering, and all that accompanied it. On a hunch, she followed up on it - and one thing led to another, including breakouts, chases, and broken laws and deals, landing a rebellious escapee in the middle of the Embers, and some particularly upset Imperials on their tail. It's a long story, but as it stands, Zep may be new, but she's far from quiet, becoming active with the Embers and serving as one of Mydra's partners in the field - not exactly because she wants to, though, with Myd playing babysitter. Javz'Dar N/A Notable Quotes N/A Themes N/A Roleplays N/A Other Facts * Mydra's basic Psionic nature was inspired directly by Tak's powers from the original Invader Zim show, which seemed to stem from an implant in their head. * Myd's name serial (X-3-15-13-2) stands for 'XCOM 2', one of Crav's favorite games. * Mydra was concepted, named, and created on August 17th, 2016 by Cravitus. Gallery N/A Category:Fanon Category:Cravitus Universe Category:Irken Category:Females Category:Minor Character Category:Alive Category:Rogue Category:Soldiers